Zen 5 Delivers Generational Gains in Gaming Performance Over Zen 4
AMD’s recent introduction of the Zen 5-powered Ryzen 9000 processors has not unfolded without its share of challenges. The launch faced initial setbacks with delayed sample deliveries to the press, which set the stage for a rocky reception. As reviews began to surface, many outlets reported disappointing results, highlighting minimal performance improvements in gaming compared to previous generations. Some even noted no gains at all, leaving AMD’s new offerings trailing behind both its own ambitious marketing claims and Intel’s competing products.
In our initial testing of the Zen 5 gaming performance, we observed significantly higher generational gains than those reported by other reviewers. To ensure the accuracy of our findings, we conducted a retest using a clean Windows installation and an expanded selection of game titles, utilizing the original launch-day chipset drivers and BIOS. This comprehensive approach revealed that the generational gains were indeed more substantial than the low single-digit increases cited by some in the media. We also incorporated data from a new Windows Update that AMD claimed would enhance performance in certain gaming scenarios.
Our latest test suite focused on the Ryzen 5 9600X and Ryzen 7 9700X, comparing them to their predecessors. Initial results indicated that both models outperformed their earlier counterparts by approximately 12%, a stark contrast to other reports that suggested negligible gains. Various factors could account for the discrepancies in testing outcomes, including potential chipset driver issues affecting some reviews. Regardless, our findings stood out as a notable exception among our peers.
In our retesting, we employed a broader array of games while maintaining the launch-day drivers and BIOS. To address concerns that built-in benchmarks might skew results, we added 11 in-game benchmarks to our suite, alongside eight additional built-in benchmarks. This allowed us to calculate a geometric mean for a more accurate representation of performance across the board.
The results, summarized in the table below, illustrate the generational gains achieved:
- Compared to Prior-Gen
- All Benchmarks
- Ryzen 7 9700X Stock: 9.30%
- Ryzen 7 9700X Expo: 6.60%
- Ryzen 5 9600X Stock: 10.00%
- Ryzen 5 9600X Expo: 7.80%
These figures reflect the performance gains measured using both built-in and custom benchmarks. Notably, the Ryzen 7 9700X achieved a 9.3% gain, while the Ryzen 5 9600X reached a 10% increase when tested under true stock configurations. However, when utilizing AMD’s Expo memory overclocking, these gains diminished to 6.6% and 7.8%, respectively. This suggests that the advantages of Zen 5’s memory speed may be somewhat offset by the overclocking configurations commonly employed by reviewers.
Built-in Benchmarks Versus Custom Game Scenes
To further dissect the performance metrics, we categorized our results into built-in benchmarks and custom game scenes. The findings revealed that built-in benchmarks generally yielded higher generational performance compared to in-game tests, with gains ranging from 2.1 to 3.5 percentage points. For instance, the built-in benchmarks indicated a gain of 11.00% for the Ryzen 7 9700X, while the custom scenes showed a more modest increase of 8.50%.
This disparity underscores the importance of the benchmarking methodology employed. Built-in benchmarks offer consistency and ease of comparison, while custom scenes provide a more nuanced view of performance in specific gaming scenarios. Both methods have their merits, and moving forward, we will continue to incorporate a mix of both in our testing protocols.
